Sidney howe shoet



l (No Model.)

S. H. SHORT.

CURRENT CCLLECTCR ECR SERIES ELECTRIC RAILWAYS. No. 385,379.

NITED STATES Irrrcn. l"

ATnNr SIDNEY HOVVE SHORT, OF DENVER, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE UNITED STATES ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF

SAME PLACE.

CURRENT-COLLECTOR FOR SERIES ELECTRIC RAlLWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 385,379, dated July 3, 18.88.

Application filed February 19, 1857. Serial No. 228,224. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SIDNEY Howe SHORT, of Denver, in the county of Arapahoe and State of Colorado, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Current Collectors for Series Electrical Railways; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

rThe object of this invention is to give the Io details of construction of an improved currentcollector, the principle of which is claimed and described in the United States Letters Patent No. 348,47 7.

The object, further, is to show one method i5 for supporting the collector in the conduit of an electrical-railway track by means of sliding shoes, which slip along on the edge of the slotiron.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l 2o represents the current-colleclor or arrow7 in top view, with the motor connected with the strips. Fig. 2 shows on a large scale and in side elevation a part of the collector. Fig. 3 shows the collector in cross-section. Figs.

4, 5, 6, and 7 show details of insulating-sup ports lfor the current-collector. Figs. 8 and 9 show, respectively, a plan and section of the shoes. Fig. 10 shows a section of part of the collector illustrating the strip-joints. Fig. l0

shows an equivalent section. Fig. 1l shows the attachments for the pushers.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. l shows the current-collector or arrow as a long slender laterally-iiexible bar of wood, or other nonconducting material, having fastened on its edges or sides long strips of metal F F, to serve as conductors. Two breaks in these metal strips occur at I and I, where the insulatingbar is left unprotected. These strips of metal 4o may be fastened to the insulating-bar in any manner of slip-connections which will allow the strips to slip or move on the bar and the com.

pleted bar to bend around curves without making the metal strips buckle. For this purpose .i5 screws may pass through slots in the metal strips, as shown at S S S, in Figs. 2 and 5. These allow the strips on both sides to move on the wood, as the strips are free at one end; or, for the same result, the strips of metal may be eut up into short lengths and provided with 5o slip-joints, such as are shown in Fig. 10. In this ligure, 1 is represented as a portion of the insulating-bar, and 2 is a piece ot' conducting metal set into the bar. This piece of metal is provided with two slotted holes, allowing the bolts S S to pass through it. These bolts are attached to the ends of the sections oi one of the metal strips F or F of the collector, and by means of the springstt they are held in good electrical contact-with the metal block 2 6o and the movement of the ends of these sections FFsecured. Fig. ltrL represents an equivalent form in which the slots are in the strips F or F';

Four supports for the bar or arrow are shown in section in Fig. l, at b, c, d, and e, Figs. 2 and 5 showing their form in side elevation. These supports are made of some good insulator-*such as vulcanizod-wood fiber or rubber-of the required shape and strength to pass up through the slot of the conduit, then 7o to attach to the supporting device on top of the slot.

Fig. 3 shows the collector in cross-seetion, a being the insulating-bar, b the insulating-support, and F F the metal strips fastened to the bar a by means ofthe screws S, passing through slots in the strips.

The details of the insulatingsupports for the current-collector are shown in Figs. et, 5, G, and 7. Fig. 4 shows one of the end supports, 8o which is made of two parts, b b, fitted into the bar a in any convenient way. The upper ends of these pieces b b are provided with steel plates P P', bolted or riveted, as shown at w .fr fr, Figs. 4 and 6. A space, V, Fig. 6 is left for 85 the conductor or cable from the motor to pass down between the steel plates P F to the stripconnection T, Fig. 4t. The center supports are made in a like manner, except only one piece is used for a support, as shown in Figs. 5 and 9o 7. The steel plates are provided as in the end supports. The lower steel plates, P P', on these insulated supports run in the slot of the conduit, and are made to take all of the wear, as shown by the lines connecting the parts in Figs. 4- and 5, and representing the edge of the slotted conduit. They are made to be re moved easily and replaced. The upper plates are above the slot and do not Wear, and are provided With bolts or pins at r r 1' r to attach the supports b Z1 to the shoes shown in Figs. 8 and 9. These shoes are simple blocks of hard metal provided with a web, W W, extending down into the slot to serve as guides. ln the center of these blocks is a slot, o o, into which the upper'end of the collector support?) b can pass and be made fast by bolts or pins. rlhe end shoes are provided with a projection, b, which is the attachment for the brushes, as shown in Fig. 11. These shoes are connected together above the slot with rods of iron m, as shown in Fig. 1l, in order to keep the currentcollector or its supports from pulling the shoes. The pull or push which any shoe may receive will be transmitted to all of them through these iron rods, the collector itself simply hanging free in the conduitand being carried along by the mechanism on top of the slotiron.

I do not herein claim, broadly, the culrentcollector composed of a bar with contactstrips covering only the length of the bar, that being shown in Letters Patent of the United States No. 348,477, to Short and Nesmith.

I claim as myinventionl. The current-gatherer for electrical railways, composed of a bar of insulating material provided with contact conducting-strips connected-to said bar and adapted to move thereon when the bar is bent, whereby buckling of the strips is prevented, substantially as described.

2. The currentgatherer for electrical railways, composed of a bar of insulating material' provided with metallic strips on its sides, strips being bent around the ends of the bar and arranged to leave insulated spaces on the bar between the ends of the strips, said strips being connected to the bar by slipping counections, substantiallyas described.

3. The combination, with a currentcollector consisting of an insulating-bar having metallic contact-strips upon its sides, insulated supports for said bar, a shoe connected wlth said supports and adapted to travel above the slot of the conduit. guides at each end of said shoe adapted to travel wit-hin the slot, and

wearing-plates connected on each side of the u insulated supports on the line of the slot, above and below the same, substantially as described.

4. In combination, an insulated bar having contact-strips upon-each side, shoes for supporting said insulated bar, adapted to travel above the slot of the conduit, guides on said shoes extending into the conduit, and stayrods m between the series of shoes, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I havesigned my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

SIDNEY HOVE SHORT. 

